“Then the Lord said to Moses… ‘I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue [Israel], and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.’ When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.’ The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course… And as the Egyptians fled into it… The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” (v1,4,10,13a,14,23,27-28,31)
Israel walks through a parted sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides, and when the Egyptian army enters the sea in pursuit, God releases the water and drowns them all – not one Egyptian pursuer survived. It’s no wonder that the Israelites “feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” Since there have been so many great teachings and articles on this chapter (and several bad ones too) I won’t focus much on the main event, I’ll focus on a frequently overlooked detail that was critical to the entire event – the role of the pillars of fire and cloud.
“Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.” (v19-20)
Did you catch that? “The angel of God” moved behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved behind them, coming between Egypt and Israel. In a previous reading we talked about how “the angel of God” in the OT is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, Son of God. Upon reading this passage carefully, and other passages where this angel of God appears (such as the burning bush in Ex 3:2), we can conclude that the pillar of fire that led Israel, was none other than a pre-incarnate Jesus who took the form of fire (just like He did in the burning bush).
Now, if both the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud are the guiding presence of God, but only the pillar of fire is called the angel of God, logically the pillar of cloud represents the Holy Spirit, who is rarely called by name (especially in the OT). The symbolism of the Holy Spirit as the cloud makes more and more sense as I think about it…
I’m not a trained theologian, but these conclusions seem to fit the context, especially when we consider that both the fire and cloud position themselves between the two people groups, protecting the Israelites as they cross the sea. (Note: What roles do Jesus and the Holy Spirit currently hold? They guide God’s children, and create a protective barrier between them and Satan.) There are roughly 2.4 million Hebrews, 3/4 of which are women, children and elderly, plus they had thousands of cattle and all the wealth of Egypt, traversing the uneven sea floor – it takes all night. God had to hold back the elite Egyptian army who would have easily overtaken the Israelites as they crossed – who better to hold them back than the presence of God Himself? The cloud blinded the Egyptians while the fire blocked the Egyptians and lit Israel’s travel through the sea. It also says that God encumbered the Egyptians’ chariots (some translations say the wheels fell off/broke) to slow them down even further.
The entire unbelievable spectacle culminated in the total destruction of the Egyptians after the Israelites completed their crossing. God made sure the He alone delivered the people, and that He alone delayed and destroyed the Egyptians, in a situation that was so hopeless that no Hebrew could think that anyone other than God Himself could have delivered them. He wanted their undivided loyalty, and to remind them who the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph really was.
Father God, our Lord Almighty, we humbly come before You in awe of Your power and saving grace. We acknowledge that You miraculously rescued Your people from the Egyptians – there is no rational argument against that fact. No person could claim they did it, no scientific mind can recreate it, only You the one true God can have the credit and the glory. Jesus, we thank You for protecting and guiding us – You are truly the way, the truth, and the light (literally in some cases). Holy Spirit, thank you for Your steadfast presence and protection from the enemy, the way that You subtly guide us and give all glory to the Father is inspiring and critical to our walk with Him. Lord, may all honor, glory and praise be to You, the God of Israel, who delivers His people from the hands of their enemies.
~ Conqueror in Training